First Nights
by Peter
Summary: A psychic and a vampire; a first draft


Forever Knight - characters from the show aren't mine and if this story isn't any good, it isn't their fault. Charlie is, on the other hand, my character 

First Nights Peter Withers 

You know it is sort of funny, sitting there on a hotel bed, kinda hoping to die but not wanting to. It's just one of those strange things I wonder about these days. This is why I'm writing all this down and hoping that maybe if I look at this long enough some time, that it will all make sense. Probably Janette would say something to the effect of getting off my ass of course in that lovely French accent of hers. Oh, by the way, name's Charles Rogers, but please just call me Charlie. It's funny how meeting one person at the right time and place can change your life forever. 

My life was never normal even before this all happened. From what I can tell, I'm what people would call a psychic. Not those con men, and women, on television and on the phone. I mean an actual, read the future, type of psychic. You don't even have to worry about paying 9.99 a minute for my services. I got flashes from touching people for a longer than normal. This started happening when I was 12. Slow at first, but soon I was getting flashes from anyone I touched. This was about when I was 15. Fortunately, I had figured out by the time NOT to tell anyone because I didn't want to end up in some lab dissecting table or worse. I've watched enough sci-Fi to figure it out. When I got enough from the flashes, I tried to help people, to prevent accidents from happening or the like. The very small stuff, I could prevent. But the large, I couldn't. I could watch and know, but not change. It made me a bit flaky but I just avoided touching people for long. Then I met Linda in college. We dated, and got serious. When we kissed, I saw her die in an accident. I tried so hard to prevent it, but she got killed in a hit and run accident. She was coming across the street to talk to me because I wanted to warn her, and she got hit by a inattentive driver. 

That was when I thought that somehow, I was causing these catastrophes. So to prevent more death, I went to the mountains, to kill myself. But stangely, fate interceeded. 

I can only imagine what Janette was thinking when I met her on my trip to the mountains. It was nightime, of course, and the weather was rainy. (Perfect weather to kill myself, doesn't even have to be considered a suicide, it can be an accident.) I saw her on the side of the road, getting out of her car, which looked like the rear tire was blown. (If I had known her like I do now, I would've known that Janette driving was strange.) I almost decided to keep going but something made me slow down. She was a beautiful woman. I open the passenger side window and say to her, "Do you need any help, ma'am?" 

She looked kinda surprised at me. "I do." Her French accent is quite evident to me. 

"I can put the spare on your flat tire." I say slowly as I get out of my own car. 

"That would be nice." I get out of the car and check the trunk. After shifting though massive amount of luggage I discover that the car doesn't have a spare. 

Muttering dire things against rental car companies, I turn to the woman and say, "We have a little problem, no spare. But do you mind if I drive you down to the nearby hotel for the night and then we can get someone to tow your car to an auto shop in the morning." 

"If it isn't any trouble." Her voice is a bit off, or maybe it is me. I have a bad feeling about this but I knew from experience that nothing can be done about it. I quickly move all of her luggage from her car to mine. I then hold the passenger door open for her and then get into my side. Within fifteen minutes, we are at the hotel room. Actually its more of a motel, but it is okay. My passenger is a bit miffed out the quality of the place. The night manager, who I know, approaches me. 

"Charlie, what are you doing here, and what's with the babe." I quickly shut him up as Janette Le Chume, as she introduced herself, glanced sharply at the manager. 

"Look, she is going to need your best room for a day, okay, I'll pay." Planning on committing suicide soon brings out the generous soul within me. 

"That isn't necessary, Charlie." Janette says. I just hand the manager the money and start walking toward the door, only to be stopped by her. "Where are you going." 

"I'm going to go sleep out in the car." I say. 

"This room is a double room, correct?" 

"Yes." I grudgenly admit. For some odd reason, she is really giving me the willies. 

"Then you are going to sleep in my room tonight, Charlie." A very strong woman, in attitude and grip. There was no use arguing with her. I carry her 'most basic necessities' to the room, which by my middle class standards, is pretty good. I quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom just before Janette goes inside. I take off everything except for my underclothes and place them on a chair to dry. I then lay down on the bed, covers over me, and flip slowly through the television channels. I decide to 'meditate' for a few minutes and promptly fall asleep. 

Dream Images: 

The car driving toward Linda in slow motion. I feel myself trying to run to her, to warn her, but the distance between us is stretching and no matter how loud I yell, Linda can't hear me. I cannot reach her, cannot. I see Janette with golden eyes looking at me then she says in my dream, "The future is your choice," just as the car hits Linda. I see her broken body bounce on the ground and I jerk up suddenly awake yelling out her name. There is Janette above me, shaking me a bit. 

"I'm okay," I turn on the TV glumly and stare at it. 

"Who's Linda." she asks me. 

" ". It's something that I don't want to talk about. 

Janette looks at me and says in a harmonious tone, "Tell me about what happened to Linda." I feel as though fog is closing in on my mind but I shake out that feeling. Then 'something' violent lashes out and Janette falls back, shocked. "What the. . ." 

At this point, and several before, I know something is strange about this woman. "Okay, I don't know what you are doing to me, ma'am, but please don't do that again. It hurt a lot." Janette nods her head very slowly. "I have this feeling that we both have our secrets that we don't want to be known. I can call the repair shop tomarrow morning and the car can be towed and the tire replaced by afternoon. I'll drop it off in the parking lot. I'll just be going now." 

"No, don't go," she says. 

I sit there for a minute and say as realization that Janette won't allow me to leave without an explaination, "Linda was my girlfriend. She. . .she died in a car accident." 

Janette says the obligatory, "I'm sorry." 

I felt something being let loose inside me, "No, you don't understand. I was there, I couldn't do anything though, I couldn't. That is why I came up here, to join her." I look at her, expecting to see an expression of horror or pity. But what I see is a certain amount of understanding. I saw from her expression in her eyes the amount of understanding and sadness. She got up and closes the curtains just as the sky turns pink. 

Later - 

I waited as long a possible to ask the question, "Why did you pull the curtains in. It's a beautiful day, suns out, birds are singing." I had a suspicion of why when I remember the dream and the strange images I saw when our minds met, but the how it could be. . .it is impossible. Yeah, like it is impossible to see into the future. 

Janette's face took on a look of distaste and longing that have almost never seen. "I-I have an allergy to the sun. It's in my family." 

I ask, half joking, half serious, "What, Are you some sort of vampire or something?" For an instant I see a look on her face. The she laughs to cover it, but I somehow know. From the dream, from her actions from the sun, I've got my answer. 

"Why do you think that?" 

I slowly move my hand to touch hers in almost a reflex of some kind. I saw her death, in the past, she sees what I've done, I saw a blur of images for her future that is misty. "That's why, I'm psychic, I can see the future. . .and can do nothing about it. But I don't know that is right anymore. I cause these terrible things to happen to people. I caused Linda to die because of my damned abilities." I hit the wall in frustration and anger toward myself. 

She asked me, "Do you want to die?" 

"Of course not, Janette, but I have no choice, because my abilities will keep on killing people. Could you do something for me, if you are. . .you know. . .can you be the one who kills me. I don't know if you live on human blood or not, like in the movies, but could you. . ." I looked at her, my view misty. 

I see two tears, bloody, come down her face. "I will." 

--------- 

Janette revealed her ability to fly to me as we go to a spot that I've gone to when I was younger. It was a steep hill overlooking hundreds of acres of woodland. We both sit down on the dry ground. I immediately showed my neck to her. I felt her teeth as they enter my neck. The biting and drinking hurt and feel good as blackness overcomes me. (Oh, Linda, I'll see you soon. Thank you Janette.) 

----------- 

I opened my eyes and jerk up. (Was it all a dream. Janette, her being a vampire, everything.) I feel female hands hold me down and a soft voice. 

I tried to focus on that voice but it took a few moments to do so. "Don't get up, Charles, you are still crossing over." 

"Whaaat." I slurred. I concentrated for a moment. "What is going on?" 

I saw her face even in the darkness. "I couldn't kill you," she said, "Something stopped me. It forced me to bring you across." I hear the truth in her words. 

"Something wants me to survive." I said softly as I felt salty sweet tasting blood enter my mouth. 

-------------- 

As a few weeks go by, Janette taught me the basics on how to be a "vampire". The flying, hypnosis, controlling my strength and speed. She also told me the rules of being one of them, concealing our existance from mortals, the Enforcers, our weaknesses and so on. Janette told me about her past and I realized soon that she wanted to go back to Toronto. That is when I asked her something. 

"Janette, ma'am, I can't go back with you." 

"Why can't you?" 

"I'm still a danger to you and the community as long as I have my abilities. I have to go away until I can deal with them." 

"I know that Charles. I'm leaving tonight. Child, I wish you a safe eternity." Silently, I helped her to pack her things into her car and I watched her drive away. 

------------------ 

That was several days ago. Janette had shown me where a butcher's shop and a blood bank were located. With a few suggestions, a little paperwork, I can get as much blood as I need from the two places. 

I sit on the bed, window curtains drawn, and I consider as I remember the past weeks. 'What does the future hold?' I ask of myself as I wait for nightfall to come. 


End file.
